What HSK 1 is
HSK is the international exam in Chinese for non-native speakers. Level 1 is the very beginning: you can say hello, talk about yourself and your family, tell the time and the date, order food and ask the way.
This list follows the new exam syllabus, HSK 3.0. It was published in November 2025, exams in it start in December 2026, and from 2027 it replaces the old one. In the new syllabus level 1 is 300 words and 246 characters to recognize. The old syllabus had 150 words.
How to learn the words on the list
- By topic, not alphabetically. Words of one topic come up together: “tea”, “drink” and “cup” stick as one scene. That is why the list is split into topics, in the order they come in the course.
- With sound from the start. Tap a word to hear how it is pronounced. The tone is part of the word: māma and mǎ differ only in their melody. If the tones still blur together, start with the pinyin chart.
- Test, don’t reread. Turn on “Test yourself”: the meanings hide, and you recall them on your own. Recalling is harder than reading, and that is exactly what makes a word stick.
- A little every day. Five to seven new words a day, and you finish the list in a month and a half to two months. The arrow next to a word opens its page, with its characters stroke by stroke and phrases that use it. In the course, words come back for review just when you start to forget them.
Common questions
How many words do you need for HSK 1?
In the new HSK 3.0 syllabus, 300 words and 246 characters. In the old syllabus (HSK 2.0) the first level asked for 150 words.
How is HSK 3.0 different from the old HSK?
There are nine levels instead of six, and the first levels have more words: 300 instead of 150 on level 1. The syllabus was published in November 2025, exams in it start in December 2026, and from 2027 it replaces the old one.
How long does it take to learn the HSK 1 words?
At five to seven new words a day, while reviewing the old ones, 300 words take about two months. It goes faster when you meet the words in phrases rather than in a list.
Do you need to write characters for HSK 1?
On the first level you need to recognize characters when reading — 246 of them. The standard asks for little handwriting: levels 1–2 share one list of 100 characters.
Can you learn the words without pinyin?
Better not. A character does not tell you how it is read, and the tone is part of the word. Pinyin shows both the sounds and the tone, which is why the list gives it next to every word.
The same 300 words, in lessons
61 short lessons: a word comes up in a dialogue, you hear it, build a phrase with it and say it out loud. Free, no sign-up.
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